Virum
Ålebækken Ruinpark – from wastewater treatment plant to nature park
From decommissioned wastewater treatment plant to public urban park
We are working on a brand new landscape park in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality – Ålebækken Ruinpark. The park is being established on a 30,000 m2 plot, which until now has housed Ålebækken wastewater treatment plant.
The wastewater treatment plant has been out of service for 40 years and is currently closed to the public. The disused industrial site contains a wastewater tank which is still used during heavy rainfall, and if wastewater overflows to Mølleåen.
- Location
- Virum
- Year
- Realised, 2021
- Client
- Lyngby-Taarbæk Forsyning
- Area
- 30.000 m2
- Services
- Consultancy
- Partners
- Rambøll, NCC Danmark A/S Civil Engineering
- Visualisations
- Rambøll
- Sustainability
- UN Sustainability Goals 3, 9, 11, 13 and 15
Reduce waterborne diseases and improve water quality
The aim of the project is to reduce the discharge of wastewater into Mølleåen, while also improving water quality in the area. This improvement will help reduce waterborne diseases in the area and lead to better water quality and habitats for river fauna.
The project also aims to open up the area to city residents and create a new landscape park, integrated with the existing structures from the decommissioned wastewater treatment plant.
Recycling and CO2 savings
The project will reuse concrete structures and technical installations from the disused treatment plant. This will save large amounts of CO2 and resources. Stones and felled trees from the area will be reused in the new park, to preserve the area’s history. There has been a focus on preserving and improving biodiversity.
The protected salamanders that currently live in the old clearing pools will be collected and temporarily re-housed, and released back into the park when it is completed. The same applies to frogs and small trees from the area, which will also be collected and spread in the area again. This will preserve the natural biodiversity of the site, while also creating good new habitats for animals and insects.
